Music: Neil Young + Joanna Newsom
In case you missed our pre-Thanksgiving blog about UCSF's Neil Young and Joanna Newsom show, here's the scoop again. These two amazing performers will be playing a benefit show and we're only hoping they'll throw in some duets. Money raised goes to help build a new home in Mission Bay for the Benioff Children's Hospital, which is considered one of the best kid's facilities in the country. And did we mention the pre-show cocktail reception with General Colin Powell, a post-performance dessert reception, and an afterparty with beats by will.i.am? Enough said. $250+; Wednesday 12/8; Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium, 1111 California St., theconcertforucsfbch.com

Holidays: SF Ballet Nutcracker + ACT Christmas Carol
If you started playing holiday music the day after Thanksgiving, these two shows will surely keep you in the Christmas spirit. The SF Ballet's Nutcracker is set in our fair city during the 1915 World's Fair, and Clara's dreamlike journey shows off all its historical grandeur. $20-$200; Thursday 12/9 - Monday 12/27; War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave., sfballet.org.A.C.T.'s A Christmas Carol is a sparkling musical, perfect for the whole family. $18-$73; Thursday 12/2 - Friday 12/24; American Conservatory Theater, 415 Geary St., act-sf.org

Shopping: Shecky's + Indie Mart + Bazaar Bizarre
This week, there's no excuse for putting off the holiday shopping. At Shecky's Girl's Night Out, grab a cocktail and a goodie bag before you scout out designer goods your friends will love. $10-$30; Thursday 12/9 - Friday 12/10; Fort Mason Center Herbst Pavilion, Marina Blvd. and Buchanan St., sheckys.com. If you like to geek out at the Academy of Sciences on Thursday nights, this week you can pick up some Indie Mart gifts while you stargaze at the Planetarium. Workshop SF will also be providing free things to make and will offer screenprinting and stenciling demos. $12; Thursday 12/9; California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Dr., calacademy.org. Finally, a perennial favorite, this year's Bazaar Bizarre will offer all the DIY glory you could imagine. Check out our blog here. $Free; Saturday 12/11 - Sunday 12/12; Fort Mason Center Herbst Pavilion, Marina Blvd. and Buchanan St., bazaarbizarre.org

Film: YBCA Holiday Horror + Gremlins/Black Christmas
For all the scrooges out there, YBCA is hosting Go To Hell For The Holidays: Horror in December. Each weekend, they'll screen art/horror hybrids from Meat Grinder to Life and Death of a Porno Gang. Check out our blog here. $8; Thursday 12/2 - Saturday 12/18; YBCA Screening Room, 701 Mission St., ybca.org. If mainstream is more your thing, check out Gremlins followed by director Bob Clark's slasher alternative to A Christmas Story, appropriately titled Black Christmas. $10 each; Thursday 12/9;  Castro Theatre, 429 Castro St., castrotheatre.com

Music: Black Crowes + Anais Mitchell
Each year, the Black Crowes have made it a tradition to play a week's worth of shows in the Bay Area. This year they're back and you better catch them before they go on an indefinite hiatus. $75; Sunday 12/12 - Sunday 12/19; The Fillmore, 1805 Geary Blvd., livenation.com. If you're looking for something more experimental, check out this musical opera at Great American Music Hall, which blends indie rock with Dixieland. The show features Anais Mitchell with Thao Nguyen, Sean Hayes, John Elliott, the Hadestown Orchestra, and the Michael Chorney Sextet. $21; Sunday 12/12; Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell St., gamh.com